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May 13 Komorebi

The Komorebi Cycling Team is a 6-women bikepacking group based in Portland, Oregon presented by Portland Design Works. Our goal is to share our experiences, lessons learned and success stories so to inspire more women to gather their friends, ride their bikes someplace new and sleep outside. We hope to make off-road cycling adventures more attractive and approachable to more women. You can learn more about the team members here - all experienced cyclists with a mix of interests and skills that work well together to assure the team stays safe, happy, excited and entertained.

"Komorebi" is a Japanese word without direct translation into English which is used to describe sunlight shining through the leaves of trees. It's a gorgeous natural phenomenon that we enjoy a lot of here in the Pacific Northwest. It really encourages a sense of serenity and contentment which encourages me to spend more time in the woods, enjoying the natural environment.

Last year, I worked with Breadwinner Cycles to help design a bike that would fit our needs - something very capable for varied terrain and "road" conditions. I've worked with Tony Pereira previously to have a custom mixte touring bike built, so I knew we were in highly skilled hands to make us a really outstanding model. The result is an adventure rig that is ready and willing to go anywhere we want to take it.

The bike can be designed around 29" or 27.5" wheel size, depending on the rider's height and riding style. The model will be known as the "Komorebi," named after the team. We are absolutely thrilled to building these bikes up with a bunch of amazing parts from our wonderful sponsors including hubs and pre-production headsets from Phil Wood & Co., Velocity USA Blunt SS rims, White Industries VBC chain rings and Eno crank arms, and custom hand-sewn frame bags from Revelate Designs. Our Presenting Sponsor, PDW, is outfitting our bikes with a bunch of great accessories including lights, pumps, water bottle cages, grips, and bells.

Wildeor is a new-to-market camping stove manufacturer who is the center point of our camp kitchen. Sugar Wheel Works hosted a class for the team so that we could learn how to build up our own wheel sets. Finally, the Mountain Shop is a local outdoor supplier who is providing us access to all the other stuff we need to make sure we are camping comfortably and safely. They will also help us outfit our guest riders who will join us for trips later this summer.